Bad Ring To It
by mcatB
Summary: Mulder's wedding ring... Spoilers for Travelers, Redux II and Emily


Title: Bad Ring to It  
Author: Mady Bay - mbay@binghamton.edu  
Date: 04-10-98  
Spoilers: Travelers, Redux II, Emily  
Classification: S,A, MSR  
Summary: We all saw what Mulder was wearing during that episode. 

"So, Scully, what have you got planned for the evening?" Mulder asked her  
as they were readying to leave their basement office for the day. 

"Oh, not much," she replied lightly. "Maybe a candlelit dinner, some  
dancing. Just for starters." 

"Mmmm, sounds good," Mulder whispered in her ear as he helped her on with  
her coat. 

Scully closed her eyes and smiled as she enjoyed how his breath felt on   
her. `Just for starters, indeed,' she thought to herself. 

They walked together to the parking garage. 

"Pick you up at six-thirty?" Mulder asked, holding open the car door for  
her. 

"Sounds good. I should be ready by the time you get there at seven," she  
said with a smile. 

"Ha Ha," he replied with a good humored dirty look as he closed the door. 

Scully pulled out and waited at the corner for Mulder to follow her out of  
the garage. When he didn't, she backed up and returned to where he was  
still parked. She saw the car's hood now open. 

"What's up G-man?" she called from her window. 

"It won't start," he replied from under the hood. "Let me try something.  
Scully, can you try to start it for me?" he asked. 

Scully got into the driver's seat of Mulder's car and tried to start the  
engine. It still didn't start. 

"Mulder?" she called. 

"Wait, try it again," he said, waving at her from under the hood. 

"Mulder?" she called again. 

She got no response, other than a couple of swear words from Mulder. 

"Mulder!" she shouted. 

"What?" he asked, finally emerging from the front of the car. `Uh-oh,   
she's got that `Mulder, you're such an asshole' look on her face' Mulder  
thought to himself as he approached her, cautiously, now. 

"Mulder, what does the `E' stand for on this little gauge?" she asked,   
pointing to the fuel gauge. 

Mulder cringed, looking a little sheepish. "How about `E' as in enormous.  
As in what an enormous asshole I am?" he offered. 

"Yeah, that about covers it," she said with a smile and a chuckle. She  
handed him the car keys and got out of the car. 

"I'm sorry Scully," he said to her. 

"Don't worry. I'll drive tonight. We'll come back tomorrow with a can  
of gas," she said getting into her car. 

"Thanks Scully," Mulder said as he got into her car as well. 

"We'll stop at your place, first. You can get ready and then we'll go   
to mine," she said. 

"Looks like I've ruined the night already," Mulder said regretfully. 

"Nonsense. Now I can be sure you won't be late," she said with a smirk. 

About a half-hour later they arrived at Mulder's apartment. Mulder keyed  
the door open and ushered Scully in. He helped her off with her coat and  
hung it up next to his on his coat rack. 

"I tell you what, Scully," he started. "Just to show you how sorry I am  
about the car thing, I'll let you pick out my clothes for me while I'm  
in the shower," he finished. 

"Ooooh, underwear too?" she asked with a mischievous gleam in her eye. 

"You've got a choice. The underwear or the tie," he said. 

"Tie" was out of her mouth before Mulder even finished his offer. 

Mulder made his way over to his desk and hit the playback button on his   
answering machine as Scully fed his fish. 

"Hey Mulder, it's Langley," the first message started. "We got that new   
software we told you about. Stop by and check it out, it's really awesome.   
Erase this when you're done," it finished. 

Both Scully and Mulder shook their heads absently at Langley's excitement  
over the software. 

"Fox, it's Mom," the second message started. 

Scully saw the mix of emotions flash across Mulder's face at the sound of  
his mother's voice. 

"Is everything all right? SHE called today, looking for you. Call me,"   
the message ended. 

Scully looked at Mulder, confusion on both of their faces now. 

"SHE?" Scully asked, her curiosity thoroughly piqued. Scully noted  
Mulder's indecision about a response when the next message began playing. 

"Fox, it's Anna," a woman's trembling voice cried. "Please Fox, I need  
your help. They took her," she said before starting to sob loudly into  
the phone. "Oh, God! They took her! They took Amy! Fox, please,   
help me! I'm at my mother's house in LA. Fox, I need you. I know it's  
been a while, but only you can help me," she said ending the message. 

Mulder slowly sank into the desk chair, staring at the answering machine. 

"Mulder? Mulder?" Scully called quietly. When she got no response, she  
walked around the desk and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Mulder?"  
she asked again. 

He looked up at her, but his eyes showed her that he was still somewhere  
else. They were sad and they were far away. Scully crouched down  
before him, taking his hands in hers. 

"Who's Anna?" she asked quietly. 

"My wife," he answered, looking down at his barren left ring finger.  
  


"YOUR WHAT?!" Scully stammered. She had been so stunned by his response  
that she nearly lost her balance. "Did you say WIFE, Mulder?" she asked,   
incredulous. 

Mulder closed his eyes and let out a small chuckle. 

"Sorry. EX-wife," he corrected, emphasizing the `ex' portion. 

"Oh, THAT'S much better," Scully moaned. "Mulder, how come you never  
told me?" 

Scully was hurt, and Mulder knew it, but how to take it back, now? 

"It never came up. It didn't matter. It." Mulder stammered. 

"Mulder, I know things about you that nobody knows. You've shared things  
about yourself and your family with me that are." She stopped,   
dumbfounded. "We've known each other for five years Mulder and you   
couldn't tell me?!" she almost shouted. 

"It didn't last that long," he started, trying to defend himself, his   
head still hanging low from guilt. "Hell, only three months." 

Scully saw the hurt in his eyes, maybe even some regret, too? She took   
his hands again. 

"I'm sorry," she said, lowering her voice. "What happened?" she asked,  
almost in a whisper. 

"We got married back in `90," he started. "Kind of a whirlwind thing,"   
he said, smiling at the memory. 

Scully smiled with him. "Then what?" she asked. 

"Then I met Agent Dales," Mulder said flatly. 

Scully gave him a confused look. 

"He was a retired agent I interviewed about a case he had in the fifties   
that was connected to one I had been assigned," he informed her. He   
looked right at Scully then. "He's the one who told me about my father's   
involvement in the HUAC and some of the State Department cover-ups. He's  
the one who told me about the X-Files," Mulder finished, looking at Scully  
to see if she was following his explanation. "That was when I began my   
search for the truth." 

He looked down at their intertwined hands, absently rubbing her fingers   
with his own. 

"That's when you became more involved with you work instead of your brand  
new bride, and," Scully started to deduce. 

"And she divorced me," Mulder finished for her. 

"Who's Amy?" Scully asked. 

"I don't know. I haven't seen or spoken to Anna since she left DC to go  
back to San Diego," Mulder replied. "I tried to keep tabs on her, sent   
Christmas cards and stuff. But she never replied," he finished. 

"She sounded desperate," Scully said. "Are you going to help her?" 

Mulder was torn. He loved Anna once, maybe still did a little bit.   
But he ruined that relationship. He was just starting to head in a   
positive direction with Scully. They were planning to go out and   
celebrate her `six months in remission' anniversary. He was hoping  
that they would finally take the next step in their relationship, and   
become something more than just partners and best friends. An ex-wife  
in the picture did not fit into the game plan. But Anna did indeed  
sound desperate. And after 7 years of silence, she called him. He   
looked into Scully's eyes, hoping to find an answer to his uncertainty. 

"I'll help you pack," she said squeezing his hands and starting to get up. 

"Come with me?" he asked, not letting go of her hands, keeping her near. 

"Count on it G-man," she said with a smile as she caressed his cheek.  


Within three hours they were on a plane headed for LA. Mulder had tried  
to call Anna, but was told by the operator that the number he had was no  
longer in service and that there was no current listing for Anna's   
mother's house. They decided to just go. Mulder booked the flight,   
rental car and hotel room for them on his cell phone as Scully drove to  
her apartment and then to the airport. 

After they had settled into their seats, and they were up in the air,   
Scully turned to Mulder. 

"So, tell me more," she said simply. 

"I don't know, Scully," Mulder began. "I guess we knew each other for   
about two months or so before getting married. Everything just seemed   
to click with us. We were eating lunch together one afternoon and she   
proposed to me," he continued. 

"SHE proposed to YOU?" Scully asked, eyebrows raised. 

"Yeah. She was like that. And she was so good to me. After Phoebe."  
He paused. "I felt like shit and had trouble trusting women. But Anna,  
she was different," he said. Then he looked at Scully. "Like you.  
She accepted me for who I was and didn't try to change me. So, I   
accepted and we went to a justice of the peace the following week,"   
he finished. 

"Okay, now the big question, Mulder," Scully began. "How come nobody in  
the Bureau knew. In the past seven years, SOMEBODY should have mentioned  
it in the gossip circles," she remarked. 

Mulder laughed, then explained. "She was an agent in the same department  
as me. We decided to keep it low key for a while. We figured when her   
transfer to computer crime came through and we wouldn't be working   
together every day, we'd let the cat out of the bag." 

Mulder gave Scully a chance to digest the latest bit of information about  
his ex-wife before he told her the second half of the secret tale.   
"And, then there was the fact that she was Blevins' daughter." Mulder   
trailed. 

That got Scully's FULL attention. "What?! Blevins' daughter?" Scully   
asked, shocked. 

"Yeah. I already knew he didn't like me, so Anna was kind of afraid of  
what he'd do to me both on and off the job if he found out we were married.   
That and I didn't want anybody to think I would be his "favorite" and get   
special attention, being the Section Chief's son in law," he explained.  
"So I guess you didn't exchange rings," Scully interjected. 

"No, we did," he replied. "We just pocketed them or wore them around our  
necks when we had to work with or around other agents. We figured that   
eventually Anna would get her transfer." he continued. 

"But you found the X-Files first," Scully finished for him, seeing the  
distress in his features again. 

But Mulder continued. "I became obsessed. I had to know about my   
father's involvement in the State Department. I had to know if he knew  
or was involved in Samantha's abduction. I had started my holy quest  
for the truth." 

Mulder leaned back on the seat and closed his eyes. 

"I didn't and still don't blame her for leaving me," he said sadly.   
Scully held his hand again. "I became a different person. My quest for  
the truth overshadowed everything else." 

"No! I don't believe it!" Scully admonished good humoredly. 

Mulder smiled at her playful remark "Yeah, really!" he returned. "So,  
when she served me with the divorce papers, I just signed them and gave  
her whatever she wanted," he finished. 

"So I guess she got the bed, huh?" Scully teased with a smile. 

"As a matter of fact, Scully, she did," Mulder responded. "Along with  
the china, the houseplants, the Volvo and the cat," he replied   
nonchalantly. 

"You had china, houseplants, a Volvo and a cat? Damn! Mr. Domestic   
weren't we Mulder?" Scully teased. 

"Ah, but notice I never replaced any of those things, did I?" he said  
defending himself. 

"They were hers to begin with, weren't they?" she still teased. 

"Yup," was all he would say.  
  
  


When they arrived in LA, they got their rental car and headed to Anna's  
mother's house. Both were exhausted, but they both wanted to see Anna   
as soon as possible. Despite his eidetic memory, Mulder was still   
surprised he remembered how to get to the house. He'd been there once,   
before they'd gotten married, and that was about 8 years ago, now.   
It took about 45 minutes to get there from the airport. Mulder gently   
rubbed Scully's shoulder to wake her when he pulled into the driveway of  
the old farmhouse. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mulder," Scully said with a yawn. "I didn't mean to doze  
off." 

"That's okay. I'm pretty beat myself," he responded. "This is the place.  
Not too different from what I remembered." 

It was almost midnight, DC time, when they arrived, 9 PM California time.  
Mulder tentatively made his way up the steps of the porch as Scully   
followed. He rang the doorbell. They heard the footsteps approaching   
the door. Mulder tried to brace himself mentally. He had been trying to  
think of the right thing to say to Anna since he and Scully decided to  
come. He realized that he hadn't been successful. If Scully wasn't right  
there behind him, with her hand at the small of HIS back at that moment,   
running may have been an option. A tall, brown haired woman opened the  
door. 

"Fox! You came! Thank God!" she cried and hugged him to her. 

When she finally released Mulder, Anna looked him over. 

"You haven't changed," she said, and then noticed Scully. 

Mulder turned to Scully and grabbed her hand, bringing her up next to   
himself. 

"This is Dana Scully," Mulder introduced. "She's a close friend, and   
works at the Bureau, too." 

Scully absently wondered at the terms that Mulder chose to describe her,   
most notably, the lack of the word `partner' as she shook hands with Anna. 

"Please, both of you, come in," Anna said, ushering them into her home.   
"Here, let me take your coats while you sit down. Just move what you have  
to. Amy," she hesitated, "Amy and I were just moving in this week." 

They each gave Anna their coats and sat in the sparsely furnished living   
room as Anna hung them up in the hall closet. They both scanned the room,  
noticing the boxes piled up and around it, taking in the details, looking  
for clues about who this woman was and how she lived. 

"Fox, I.I can't thank you enough for coming out here," Anna began,   
starting to cry, grabbing some tissues from her jeans pocket as she sat  
in a chair across from them. 

Mulder leaned forward, towards Anna. "Anna, what's going on? Who is   
Amy?" he asked gently. 

"She's my daughter," she said through her tears. "She's. she's." she   
hesitated. 

"What Anna, go on," Mulder encouraged. 

Anna looked up at Mulder and took a deep breath. "She's YOUR daughter."  
  


"WHAT??!!" Mulder cried out. "Why didn't you tell me?!!" He didn't   
know if he was more confused or angry with Anna's statement. 

Scully didn't know what to think either. First she finds out Mulder has  
an ex-wife, and now he's got a daughter to boot. This was definitely not   
fitting into her previous plans for the weekend.

"I found out I was pregnant with her after I filed for the divorce," she   
began explaining. "I didn't want to complicate things any further, and   
considering the reason I divorced you, I didn't think you'd be a good   
father, either," she said quietly. 

Mulder sat for a minute to think about what he'd just heard. `I'm a   
father. Oh, God. Shit.' He took a deep breath as he drew his hands down   
his face, resting his fingertips on his mouth and he started thinking   
about the implications and Anna's reasons for not telling him. `Maybe   
she was right, I was a lousy husband. If I couldn't stay married, how   
could I have been a good father?' he thought, starting to brood. 

Scully saw the emotions playing in Mulder's eyes. She saw the guilt   
building up and decided to bring up the reason they had come. 

"Anna," she began. "What happened to Amy?" 

Anna looked at Scully, still unsure about this `close friend' of her   
former husband. "This afternoon," she began, a tremble returning to her   
voice. "This afternoon, a man, he must have followed us. When I   
stopped at the gas station on the way home from Amy's little league game.  
He took her.He shoved me away from the car and took her from me," Anna   
said before starting to cry again. 

Mulder got up and sat next to her, tentatively putting his arm around her. 

"What did the police say? Do they have any leads? Did the kidnapper   
make any demands or anything?" Mulder asked gently. 

Anna wiped away some tears. "They don't know anything yet. And I   
haven't heard anything from that bastard that took away my baby!" she   
said with anger. "Oh, Fox. I just didn't know what to do, or who to   
call. Mom passed away last year and Dad.you know about Dad. I didn't   
have anybody else to turn to, Fox," she finished. 

"It's all right, Anna. I understand," Mulder replied. `And I understand   
about not telling me about Amy, too,' he continued in his thoughts,   
sadness coming through in his eyes. 

Scully tried to cover a yawn. 

"Oh, God, you two must be tired, with the time change and jet lag and   
all," Anna said, standing up, trying to recover her composure. 

"No, we're fine," Scully and Mulder said, almost simultaneously, smiling   
at each other when they realized it. 

"No, no. You two need some rest. So do I," Anna continued. "I'd offer   
you a bed, but I haven't got one. Amy and I have been using sleeping   
bags. Nothing's unpacked yet," she said. 

"It's all right," Mulder countered. "We have reservations at a hotel in   
town. But we can rough it here or you could come with us, if you need   
someone to stay with you," he offered. 

"No, that's okay," she replied. "You two look like you could use a   
comfortable bed and my neighbor invited me to stay with her tonight." 

"You sure?" Mulder asked. 

"It would be no problem," Scully added. 

"No, really, thank you. Sharon will be home any minute," she said   
looking at her watch. "And she left work early just for me. I don't   
want to put her out any more than I have to. 

"Okay," Mulder said, giving her a hug. "We're staying at the Ramada Inn   
on Clinton Street. And here's my cell phone number," he continued,   
giving her his business card. 

"Thanks Fox, and you too Miss Scully, for coming out so soon," Anna said   
as she led them to the door. 

"It's Dana. We'll see you in the morning," Scully said shaking Anna's   
hand before leaving the house.  


Mulder and Scully drove about half an hour in silence before reaching   
the Ramada Inn. Scully wasn't sure what to think about the day's   
events. `Let's see,' she thought. `While preparing for a potentially   
romantic weekend with Mulder, his ex-wife that he hasn't heard from   
in seven years, and never told me about, suddenly calls him to tell him   
that the daughter he didn't know he had got kidnapped. His ex-wife   
turns out to be the daughter of the late Section Chief, Blevins, who   
was at the top of the consortium food chain that was trying to destroy   
Mulder and me. And, for some reason, I don't like her one bit,' she   
finished, not noticing the jealous tone of her last thought. She   
wanted to talk to Mulder, find out what he was thinking about all this   
too. She looked at him as he drove. He was obviously confused and   
upset about the turn of events. `When we get to the hotel, we'll talk,'   
she decided. 

They arrived at the hotel and checked in quickly. They found their way   
to their room on the second floor. Mulder flopped onto one of the double   
beds as Scully locked the door. 

"So, what do you think?" she asked, sitting next to him. 

"You don't like her do you?" Mulder asked, looking up at her, a slight   
gleam in his eye. 

"What?" she responded. "Why do you think that?" 

Mulder turned toward her, propping himself up on one elbow. He raised an   
eyebrow to her. 

"It's not that I don't like her," she started. 

"You just don't trust her, right?" he finished. 

"I don't know. Just. Something. Something doesn't seem right. I   
can't place it yet," she said, hoping she wasn't hurting Mulder's   
feelings. 

"Look, the Anna I knew was the kindest, gentlest person I ever met.   
I think she truly needs my help. She doesn't have any other family now,   
so I can understand her calling me after so long," Mulder reasoned. 

"Do you believe Amy is yours?" Scully asked quietly. 

Mulder saw the hurt in her eyes. He realized the connection they shared.  
`We both recently found out we had daughters, only to have them taken   
away. At least I have a chance at getting mine back, though,' he thought. 

"We didn't want children right away. We used protection, but accidents   
do happen.," he answered. 

"But what if.?" Scully started, but stopped, ashamed of what she wanted   
to ask. 

"What? What Scully?" Mulder implored. 

"What if she takes after her father? What if this is just some elaborate   
trap?" she asked. 

"It's not Scully. I know Anna. I was married to her remember?" he   
reasoned. 

"Mulder, you knew her for five months, over seven years ago. A lot can   
happen in seven years," Scully replied. "What if she held a grudge?   
What if she was part of Blevins' plan all along? What if.?" She   
stopped, out of `what ifs.' 

"Scully, relax. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself," he responded. 

Scully just gave him her raised eyebrow look to that last remark. 

"Okay, I'll be careful. I'll try to stay objective. I'll think before   
I act," he started. "I'll come home right after school, too," he finished,   
smiling, hoping to appease her. 

"I just worry, Mulder. Something about this case just has a bad ring to   
it that's all," she said. 

Mulder sat up and pulled Scully to him, hugging her. 

"I know Scully. But don't worry, as long as I have you by my side, I'll   
be fine," he said, kissing the top of her head. 

Scully smiled. "But it's the times when I'm NOT at your side that I   
worry about G-man," she said. 

"Come on, let's get some sleep while we can," Mulder said, rising from   
the bed.  
  
  


They got up around seven in the morning and had breakfast in the hotel's   
dining room. 

"Okay," Scully began, sipping her coffee. "What's the game plan?" 

"I figure you can drop me off at Anna's first, then you can go talk to   
the local law enforcement handling the case, get some more information,"   
Mulder responded. 

"I still don't like the idea of you being alone with her Mulder," Scully   
cautioned. 

"Jealous, Scully?" he asked. Then he saw the serious look on her face.   
"I'll be fine, Scully," he replied.

Scully dropped Mulder off around eight-thirty. 

"Be careful," she said as he got out of the car. 

"I will," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.  
Anna met Mulder on the porch. 

"Where's Dana going?" she asked, giving Mulder a quick hug. 

"She's going to follow up with the Sheriff's Department on the   
investigation. Maybe pull a few strings. She's got a few friends out  
here," Mulder answered. 

"Oh, that's good to hear," Anna replied. 

Mulder heard the hesitation in her voice, momentarily wondering if   
Scully was right. 

"Fox, I've got some breakfast made, would you like to join me?" she asked  
ushering him into the house. 

"No, thanks. Scully and I already ate at the hotel," he responded. 

"How about some coffee then?" she offered. 

"Sure, thanks," he answered. "Anna, I don't know why I didn't ask you   
last night, but, do you have a picture of Amy?" he asked. "I'd love   
to see her." 

"I. I wish I did," she began. "I gave the police the one I had from my  
wallet. It's the only one I had left after the fire. That's why we   
had to move in here, our apartment in San Diego burned down. We lost  
everything," she finished. 

"So tell me all about her," Mulder said, sitting down at a table in  
the kitchen.  
  


Scully arrived at the local office of the LA County Sheriff's Office.  
She showed her FBI identification to the desk officer. 

"I'm Special Agent Dana Scully with the FBI," she began. "I'd like to   
speak with an officer about the Amy Blevins kidnapping case," she   
finished. 

"Sure," the desk officer began. "Lt. Beck is handling that case. If   
you'll wait here a minute, I'll call her." 

"Thank you," Scully replied. 

Scully was wandering around the lobby, reading the various notices on  
the bulletin board when Lt. Beck arrived. 

"Agent Scully?" she called. 

Scully turned around to see a tall, well dressed woman in her fifties  
offering her hand. 

"I'm Lieutenant Mary Ellen Beck. How can I help you?" Lt. Beck asked. 

Scully shook her hand. "Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI. I'm interested  
in the Amy Blevins case," she told her. 

"Yes, that's what the desk officer told me," Lt. Beck replied. "May I   
ask why the FBI is involved?" 

Scully looked around. "Do you have an office where we could talk in   
private?" she asked. 

"Sure, follow me," Lt. Beck said, gesturing with her hand toward the back  
of the lobby. 

Scully followed her through the halls to Lt. Beck's office. She sat down   
in the chair offered to her. Lt. Beck gave Scully an expectant look. 

"My partner, Special Agent Fox Mulder, received a phone message yesterday  
afternoon from Anna Blevins, his ex-wife," Scully began. "His ex-wife   
that he hasn't heard from in seven years. She sounded desperate, asking  
for his help. We couldn't reach her by phone, so we came out here from   
DC," she continued. She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts   
before going on. "When we got here, Anna told us that Amy was kidnapped.   
Then she told my partner that Amy was HIS daughter," she finished. 

Lt. Beck had listened closely to what Scully had to say and how she  
said it. 

"You're not convinced, are you, Agent Scully?" she deduced, with a   
small smile. 

Scully smiled back at the woman. She liked her. 

"Something just doesn't sit right with me," Scully replied. 

"What about your partner, what does he think?" Lt. Beck asked. 

"I think he believes her," Scully replied. "He told me that when they   
were married, `she was the kindest, gentlest person he'd ever met,'" she   
quoted. "I think that's how he'd like to remember her," she continued. 

"Well, Agent Scully, I'm afraid we have some bad news for your partner,"  
Lt. Beck said, retrieving a file folder from her desk.  
  


Anna poured Mulder another cup of coffee. 

"Would you like to take a walk?" Anna asked. Amy loved running around   
in the backyard here, especially through the orchard." 

"Sure," Mulder replied. 

But as Mulder got up from the chair, he suddenly felt dizzy. He grabbed  
the table for support, knocking the coffee mug to the floor. 

"Why Fox, are you okay?" Anna asked, not at all alarmed by his sudden  
attack. 

Mulder heard the tone of her voice. 

"Anna? What. what did you do?" he asked, his voice starting to slur. 

Mulder tried to stand up again, to get away from her as she approached.   
He stumbled backwards, falling to the floor and hitting his head on the  
chair on the way down. He moaned out loud grabbing the side of his head. 

"Aw, Fox. Are you hurt?" Anna asked, feigned compassion in her voice. 

"Anna why are you doing this?" Mulder asked, trying to get up again. 

"Don't you know Fox?" she asked as she stood next to him. "Are you   
still so obsessed with your `truth' that you still don't know?!" 

Anna kicked him in the ribs, hard. Mulder doubled up on the floor,   
grabbing his ribs, crying out in pain. She kicked him again. 

"You've hurt me for the last time Fox Mulder!" she screamed at him. 

"Anna.Please.," Mulder gasped out. "Please, that was over seven years  
ago," he tried to tell Anna. `God, Scully, why'd you have to be right   
about her?' he thought to himself. 

Mulder started to reach for his gun, but Anna was way ahead of him,   
since, being hurt and drugged kind of slowed down his actions. She   
grabbed it out of his hand and turned it on him. 

"Well, Fox what's it gonna be? Should I shoot you in the head and let  
you die quick?" she began. "Or should I just drag it out a bit and hurt  
you little by little, like you did to me for the past seven years?!"   
she finished with a snarl. 

"What have I done Anna?" Mulder asked, trying to sit up, grabbing the   
kitchen counter for support. "What have I done to you?" 

She pulled the trigger. Mulder screamed as he felt the bullet sear   
through his left shoulder. 

Anna sat down in a chair. She still had the gun trained on Mulder.  
She smiled as she saw the blood stain his shirt. She laughed when she  
heard him whimper and gasp as he clutched at the wound, trying to   
stop the bleeding. 

"Does it hurt, Fox? Does it feel so bad that you want to die?" she asked   
rhetorically. "That's how I felt when you left me, Fox. That's how I   
felt when you killed Amy. That's how I felt when you made me lose my  
job. That's how I felt when you killed my father!" she screamed. 

She pulled the trigger again.   
  


Scully and Lt. Beck had just arrived at Anna's mother's house when   
they heard a gun shot. 

"Mulder!" Scully cried. 

Lt. Beck got on her car's radio and called for backup. Then she   
and Scully headed for the house, weapons drawn. 

"I'll head around back and the kitchen door," Scully started to tell  
Lt. Beck. "You go in the front door." 

Lt. Beck nodded quickly and the women split up. Scully cautiously made  
her way around the house, not exactly sure where the shot had come from.  
Then, as she was nearing the back porch, she heard Anna laughing. Scully  
crept up the porch stairs and looked through the window. She saw Anna  
with the gun pointing at Mulder. 

`Oh God, Mulder!' she cried to herself when she saw his blood covered   
figure slumped on the floor. 

She opened the kitchen door, entering quickly, gun first. 

"Drop it Anna!" Scully ordered. 

"Why Agent Scully," Anna said with an evil smile. "Daddy told me  
all about you, too. Hmm, such a hard decision. Who should I shoot?   
Fox again? Or you," she said flatly. 

"Anna, no!" Mulder cried, trying to get close to her to stop her. 

Anna pulled the trigger again. 

"Scully!" Mulder cried as Scully landed next to him on the floor. 

He was surprised then to see Anna drop to the floor as well. He looked   
up to see a third woman with a gun begin to approach him. 

"Dana? Agent Mulder?" she asked, kicking Mulder's gun away from Anna  
and holstering her own weapon. 

Scully rose. "I'm alright. Thanks Mary Ellen," she said. "Mulder  
are you all right?" she asked him, beginning a cursory exam of his   
wounds. 

"Oh, Scully, am I glad to see you," he slurred painfully as she pressed  
a kitchen towel to his shoulder. 

Scully heard Lt. Beck calling for an ambulance and crime scene team on   
her cell phone. She found another kitchen towel and wrapped it  
around his right shin, the site of Anna's second shot. 

"Now Mulder, what did I tell you about not keeping me by your side?"   
Scully admonished gently as she sat down next to him, taking him   
into her arms. 

"Does it begin with `E'?" he asked.  
  


Four hours later Scully was in the OR waiting room, on her cell phone  
with AD Skinner. 

"Yes, Sir. Anna Blevins. Mulder said she worked in DC back in 1990.  
I believe she transferred to San Diego after the divorce. I would   
appreciate any information you could get on her, Sir. Thank you, Sir.  
I will, Sir." 

She hung up the phone and looked up and was startled to see Lt. Beck   
waiting nearby. 

"Oh, I'm sorry Mary Ellen. I didn't even see you," Scully apologized. 

"Don't be. How's your partner?" she asked as she sat down next   
to Scully. 

"He's still in surgery, obviously. But the doctors think he'll be just   
fine," Scully replied. "He'll be off his feet for a while. The one   
bullet hit the fibula bone, shattering it. The other went clean through   
his shoulder. We're amazed it didn't hit any bones on the way. His ribs  
are just bruised, not broken, thank God." 

"Good, I'm glad he'll be all right," Lt. Beck said, patting Scully's   
shoulder. "I've got that information you wanted," she continued,   
handing Scully some papers. "You already saw the copies of the birth  
and death certificates I had in my office. I managed to find out the   
name and address of the cemetery she's buried in too. It's right   
outside the city, a small family cemetery." 

Scully again looked at the birth certificate of Amy Anne Blevins.  
Mulder was indeed listed as the baby's father. 

"How are your local judges when it comes to exhumation requests?"   
Scully asked. 

"What?" Lt. Beck was surprised at the question. 

"I know Mulder. He'll want to know for sure if that child was his   
or not. He won't rest until he does. Believe me," Scully stated. 

"Considering the circumstances, I don't think you'll have a problem,"  
Lt. Beck replied. 

"Good," Scully replied tiredly. She took a deep breath and sighed,   
leaning her head back against the back of the couch. She turned her  
head toward her new friend. "Thanks Mary Ellen, for everything," she   
said with a tired, but sincere smile. 

"Just doing my job, Dana," she replied. "Tell you what. You stay here  
and I'll get us some dinner, okay?" she said, rising from the couch. 

"Sounds great, thanks," Scully replied.  
  


A few more hours later and Scully was at Mulder's bedside. The surgery  
had gone well, with no complications. She looked up from the magazine  
she was reading when she heard Mulder start to stir. 

"Hey," he whispered, reaching a hand out for her. 

"Hey yourself," she responded with a smile, taking his hand. 

"Anna?" he asked quietly. 

"She didn't make it. I'm sorry, Mulder," Scully replied sadly. 

He closed his eyes. Scully saw him try to fight back his tears.  
She didn't know what to say to him. 

"I just don't understand," he began. "Why now? If she was that  
mad at me when she divorced me." he stopped, not knowing what to   
say next. 

Scully braced herself. She knew Mulder would hear what she had to   
say eventually, and he'd want to know sooner, not later. 

"I think I have some idea," she began. "When I went to the Sheriff's  
Department I met Mary Ellen, Lt. Beck. She's the one who stopped Anna.  
They were ready to arrest Anna on Falsely Reporting A Crime charges.  
They found out that Amy died at birth. She was stillborn. They think  
it was because Anna drank alcohol throughout the pregnancy," Scully   
continued. "Mary Ellen showed me copies of the birth and death   
certificates." She paused, then said "I called Skinner, too." 

"What did you tell him?" Mulder asked tentatively.

"I told him everything," Scully replied. "He did some checking around  
about her for me. Apparently, after Amy's funeral, Anna became depressed.  
She started drinking more. She got fired after repeatedly screwing up   
evidence because she was drinking ON the job, as well, and now." Scully   
was going to continue when Mulder spoke up. 

"And now, six months after her father is killed in his office, right   
after I accuse him of being part of the big conspiracy, she feels that  
all her problems and tragedies for the past seven years were my fault,"  
he said. "And she was right," he added quietly. 

"Oh, Mulder, you're wrong," Scully said caressing his cheek. "Anna was   
a big girl. Granted, I can understand her feelings and reasons for  
divorcing you, there have been times I've come pretty close to ditching   
you too," she said with a mischievous gleam in her eye. 

Mulder squeezed her hand, understanding, and recalling a few of those   
times. Scully continued. 

"But she was a college educated, trained FBI agent. She should have  
known the risks of drinking alcohol while pregnant. She can't blame you  
for that. She knew the policy on drinking on duty. She can't blame you  
for that either. And as for her father, you didn't pull the trigger,  
Mulder. All you did was accuse the man," she finished. 

Mulder smiled slightly. "I know all that Scully. I know deep down that  
Anna made all those choices, or was too ill to make sound decisions on her   
own. I know I didn't actively do any of that. But I'm the one who killed  
the marriage. I'm the one who was so blinded by my quest for the truth  
that I couldn't even see my own wife. Who can blame her for feeling   
rejected and unloved? In essence, she was rejected and unloved. By me,"   
he finished dejectedly, turning his head away from Scully. 

"Mulder, look at me," she said gently. 

When he didn't respond, she put her hand on his chin and turned his   
face toward her, forcing him to look at her. 

"Mulder," she began again. "Anna was young, a little na‹ve maybe, when   
she married and divorced you. But she made her choices. She could   
have been like any other person and sued the shit out of you for alimony   
and harassed you enough for you to need an order of protection. She   
could have answered those calls and Christmas cards you sent. But she   
chose not to. She chose to stay out of your life. She chose not to  
tell you about the baby. This is not your fault," she finished, wiping   
away some tears from Mulder's cheeks. 

"Thanks Scully," he said. "And thanks for not leaving ME when YOU'VE had  
the chance," he added with a smile.  
  
  


A month later Mulder opened the basement office, struggling to get   
through the door with his crutches. He saw Scully on the phone and waited  
until she hung up before he spoke. 

"Ready for our lunch date?" he asked. 

"Sure, let me get my coat," she said, quickly rising from her seat. 

"Nope, I've ordered in," he said, stepping aside for Agent Green  
who was carrying a couple of brown paper bags. 

Scully sat back down as he placed the bags on her desk. 

"Thanks Bill, I owe you one," Mulder said, shaking the Agent's hand. 

"Several, Mulder, several. Nice to see you Dana," he said before   
leaving the office. 

Mulder sat down carefully, propping his casted leg up on another chair. 

"How are you doing Mulder?" Scully asked tentatively. 

"Oh, not too bad. Much better now that I'm with you, of course," he said  
with a smile. 

"Good. Good," she said, hesitation in her voice. 

"Scully? What's the matter?" Mulder asked, his concern growing. 

Scully didn't know how to tell him what she'd learned. She hesitated  
again. 

"Scully?" he asked again, this time more insistent. 

"I just got off the phone with the lab. As you know, we did check the  
records of Anna's pregnancy and Amy's birth. Then, as we asked, they  
exhumed Amy's body, to find out, you know, for sure," she said. 

"And?" Mulder asked expectantly. 

"And, you aren't the father of that baby," Scully said. 

Mulder wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He looked back at  
Scully when she continued speaking. 

"And Anna isn't the mother of that baby either," Scully continued. 

"What? I don't understand," he said. 

"Neither do I, Mulder," she responded. 

They both sat silently for a minute, not knowing what to say. 

"Oh, God Scully, I just had a terrible thought," Mulder said,   
straightening in his chair. "Please, just hear this out," he said,  
waiting for her assent. 

Scully nodded her head and waited for his idea. 

"I married Anna, Blevins' daughter, at almost the exact same time  
that I found the X-Files. My reasons and obsession for finding my  
abducted sister, got a new jump start. Anna leaves me, heads to San  
Diego, has what is supposed to be my child. That child is abducted,   
swapped at birth, whatever you want to call it, in San Diego," he stated,  
pausing to see if Scully was following his train of thought. "Scully,  
you found Emily in San Diego. I found evidence of other children, just   
like Emily there. I found genetic testing subjects, people having   
other peoples' children, false birth records, you name it, while I was  
there. What if this was all part of some consortium plan after all?" he  
finished. 

"You think you and Anna were set up, like a blind date, by Blevins?"  
Scully asked. 

"I don't know, maybe," he replied. "I just don't know if Anna would  
have known all along, and then tried to get out, or if her father used  
her, too," he said. `Like my father may have used me and Samantha' he   
thought darkly to himself.

Scully got up and walked to Mulder's side. She put her arms around him  
and looked into his eyes. 

"I guess we've both got daughters to look for, now, huh?" she said gently. 

"Yeah, only now, I promise to keep you by my side all the time," he   
said smiling up at her.   
  



End file.
